Winter Day Camp For America!!

 

The Winter Day Camp event I have been preparing for took place this past Saturday and I'd say it went well. I ended up with 13 kids showing up to learn about animal winter behaviours like hibernating, migrating, and insulating. I planned a bunch of educational games like Oh Deer!, How Many Bears?, and the migration four corners game I created for a classroom program earlier in the year. We also did a blubber demo, a scavenger hunt, spent some time with the touch trunk, and went on a winter hike to look for animal tracks- which proved to be super successful as there were TONS of tracks throughout the refuge in the fresh snow from the night before! It was cool to see something I planned and organized entirely on my own work out so well!

Also, this was my first decent snowfall here and my first time EVER driving on snow! I was so excited that it was snowing Friday night that I ran outside barefoot and in shorts. I played around in the snow for a little before going back in and throwing some pajama pants and snow boots on. It was so pretty and I loved seeing all the animal tracks. I'm definitely excited to experience a real winter and all the pretty scenery and fun adventures that go along with it!

How Neat Is That?!

 

My house looks so cute in the snow!!

Putting the snow boots to the test

 

The Kraaken survived its first drive in the snow!!

Being barefoot in the snow apparently is a weird thing to do......

Cool Cats For Me!

This weekend I had my orientation at a cat rescue/adoption center in Boise called Simply Cats. I was looking for a wildlife rescue to volunteer at as I really enjoyed my time doing that earlier this year when I found this place. Being that I am not allowed to have pets in the housing here at Deer Flat, I really miss my animals back home, especially my kitty! Volunteering at Simply Cats seemed like a good opportunity to spend some time helping out while also getting to play with cats.

The orientation went well and I got to meet this cutie and play with her for like an hour! I can't start volunteering until January as I am flying home for Christmas next week, but I'm sure it will be a fun way to start the new year!

How Neat Is That?!

 

Training Watershed Detectives For America!!

Last week was the first session of the year for our SEEDS7 Watershed Detectives Partnership. I taught the same lesson 18 times to four different teachers' classes at two different middle schools. This session was essentially an introduction to the refuge and to water quality as they will be seeing us several more times throughout the year in their classrooms, followed by a final field trip out here to the refuge to put what they've learned to the test and do some water quality testing out in the field. This visit consisted of an observation based "experiment" using the bottles in the pictures here as well as photos of blue green algae blooms on Lake Lowell. The bottles are the result of my previous adventure into the lake as each contains lake water and a reed/stick with algae growing on it. The above picture shows the two variables that were introduced to two of the three bottles in each set. The idea was that bottle #2 (containing plant food) would have the most algae growth, bottle #3 (containing vinegar) would have the least or none as the algae would be killed by the vinegar, and bottle #1 (the control, containing only lake water) would be somewhere in the middle- likely closer to #2 than #3. The students made observations about their set of bottles and most came up with the expected results, which was great!

Overall, the week went fairly well and we only had a handful of students who acted up and didn't really want to participate. Most of the kids were pretty engaged and came up with some pretty solid observations and questions. I'm excited to see how the rest of this partnership goes!

How Neat Is That?!

First Ever Winter For Me!

 Experienced my first Idaho snow fall this weekend!!! Woke up to what I thought seemed like a pretty solid snowfall only to learn that that was nothing compared to how it can get. Apparently there will be times that it snows so hard, none of the trees are visible!

I'm definitely getting more and more excited for my first winter and all the fun adventures that will come with it....especially snowshoeing! I got some snazzy new snowshoes for Christmas and I can't wait to try em out! I'll still always be a beach loving Florida girl at heart, but I definitely am loving the beauty that comes with winter in a place that actually experiences all four seasons!
It's starting to get consistently colder here and it isn't as bad as I had previously imagined it would be. We shall see how I feel when it gets even colder....

How Neat Is That?!

Educating Kids and Enjoying Nature For America!!

The past two days have been pretty busy with lots of meetings and two field trips! The field trip on Tuesday was with a group of 5th graders from Oregon and yesterday's field trip was a visit to a nearby pre-school classroom. I lead a game of Oh Deer! with the 5th graders to explain carrying capacity and predator prey relationships and all of them seemed to really enjoy it. When it was time for the first group to switch and go inside to do an activity with the touch trunk, they were super bummed and said they wanted to stay outside with me! The second group was a bit more interesting as the group size was weirdly even to the point that no matter what I did to change the dynamics, there always ended up being a round where all of the resources were collected and became deer. Even when I introduced predators into the mix, there was a round where everyone ended up being a deer or a predator, which has NEVER happened before in the 3-4 years I've been playing this game. But, regardless of the weirdness, the kids all learned something, had fun and the teacher told me she really liked my activity and said I did a GREAT job leading it and teaching the kids!! Yay me!

The preschoolers really liked getting to see and touch some of the bio-facts from the touch trunk and learn about how animals stay warm in the winter! They were all so cute and little!!!

On an unrelated note, the frost situation here is getting pretty intense, but the sunrises are increasingly beautiful.     Also, I chased a herd of like 20 mule deer at the house after work yesterday. They let me get pretty close (even the big bucks) but as soon as one got uncomfortable, they all ran. My efforts to befriend the mule deer will continue.....

How Neat Is That?!

 

 

 

Cold Hands For America!!

 Today, I volunteered to go into the lake to collect water and algae samples for our watershed detectives programs next week. Little did I know, the wind would chop the lake so much that, while standing in about two inches of water, a wave would wash up and over the top of my boots.....After that point I was committed and just went in as far as I needed to go to collect the samples. Eventually I got to a point where the water level was up to my knees, so my boots were completely filled with water. Being that it was about 35 degrees with a wind chill of 29, I lost feeling in my arms up to my elbows and my toes eventually stopped feeling like they were on fire and became numb to everything.

All the stupid algae kept falling off the sticks as soon as I would touch it, but I finally collected enough for what we needed. I thought I had emptied most of the water from my boots, but when we got back to the refuge and I sat down to take them off, a huge puddle formed and my butt got wet.  Our field trip arrived earlier than anticipated, so I didn't have time to change.

It's always an adventure as Ranger Rhian!

How Neat Is That?!

A Happy Thanksgiving Weekend For Me!

I had an awesome weekend and am super grateful I didn't end up spending Thanksgiving alone. I met a bunch of people, ate some yummy food, drank wine, played board games, colored in a giant coloring book, went hiking, fired a gun, enjoyed some bottomless mimosas and just had a good time in general. I'm always being forced to try new things and this weekend's new experience was eating ceviche, which was actually really good! We also drove up into Bogus Basin to go hiking and see if there was going to be any snow for snowshoeing at a workshop I was hoping to go to this coming weekend. Unfortunately, there was no snow (and there doesn't look to be any for the workshop either) and there were too many people out hiking for our liking; but, we took a short hike and I got the pleasure of driving on a bit of ice for the first time, which was slightly terrifying. I'm also learning that there is a lot I still need to learn about living somewhere it snows and consistently gets to temperatures below freezing--especially when it comes to taking care of my car. I'm still excited to see what its like living in a place with a real winter- though I already miss the warm and sunny weather.

 Here's to many more adventures and attempting not to freeze to death this winter!

How Neat Is That?!

Adaptations For America!

Today was probably my favorite field trip I've lead throughout my term thus far. Not only did the day start with a beautiful sunrise, but I've been looking forward to this group's visit for WEEKS! We had a group of fifteen 3rd graders come out to learn about habitat, adaptations, and other survival needs. I planned out a pretty neat couple of hour for them where we played habitat lap-sit, Oh Deer!, and quick frozen critters before spending some time exploring some of the biofacts in the touch trunk (pelts, talons, skulls, etc). We ended the field trip with some time in the visitor center and a quick nature walk through part of our trails system. The kids were awesome and some of them were super into animals and knew most of what we were talking about today! Always a great day when I get to be Ranger Rhian! Can't wait to lead more field trips like this one!

How Neat Is That?!

 

Wine Tasting For Me!

Saturday we grabbed a nice big breakfast before heading out to some of the wineries in the valley. I lost count of exactly how many we went to.......maybe 6? I ran into some volunteers from the refuge, which was amusing because being "new in town" I never expect to see anyone I know when I'm out and about. That being said, the people at the wineries recognize me now, which is fun because a lot of them now know the wines that I like and don't even have to ask anymore. I also tried Huckleberry Vodka from one of the wineries and it was SO good. Then again, I have liked anything huckleberry related that I've tried so far. Anyways, visiting the wineries is super fun and I definitely don't plan on stopping any time soon.

How Neat Is That?!

Ste. Chapelle (one of my favorites)

Ecosystems and Food Webs For America!!!

 Yesterday I spent the entire day teaching five 4th grade classes about ecosystems and food webs. They all seemed to have learned a lot by the end of our time together, which is awesome! We went over the definition of an ecosystem and all the various things that can be part of it. We discussed why its called a food web rather than a food chain and what could happen if even one piece of the web is removed. The kids learned what producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, scavengers, and decomposers are along with some examples of each--knowledge that they later used to help design an ecosystem for a moose and to build a food web of their own. Overall, it was a pretty awesome day! We will be revisiting those students later on in the spring to teach them about macro invertebrates, so I look forward to that visit!

How Neat Is That?!

 

 

Exploring Canyons For Me!

 Being that this past Friday was a federal

holiday, the refuge visitor center was closed and we had the day off. I decided to spend the day on another adventure- this time out at Bruneau Canyon. In order to get there, you first drive though an area with open range cattle, so there are cows in the middle of the road at times. Then, the road cuts through an Air Force bombing range, with signs along the way saying to watch out for falling objects. The road finally dumps you in a dirt parking lot where you are surrounded by cheat grass and other pokey plants. The canyon doesn't reveal itself until you take a few steps out of the parking lot, at which point the ground opens up into this beautiful canyon. There were flocks of birds flying throughout the canyon and you could hear the echoed sound of water rushing over the rocks below. I was super tempted to climb down into the canyon, but decided that wouldn't be a smart decision on my part in that I was by myself and out of cell service, so if things took a turn for the worst, there would be no coming back from that. Perhaps another time.
Allegedly there is a 5ish mile out and back rim hike, but the small unmaintained trails were littered with evil spikey plants that made for an unpleasant and fairly brief hike. I also couldn't find where exactly the 5 miles of trail was, as the direction I chose to go ended with an outcropping of the canyon putting an end to the trail.  Regardless, it was a beautiful canyon.

8/8 would recommend

How Neat Is That?!

 

Climbing Fire Towers for ME! (And A Little For America)

 Dreams do come true!!

Today, we got the chance to climb the fire tower! There are plans for it to be moved from the refuge, so we have been determined to climb it before that happens, and we did! The zone archeologist was out at the refuge today taking notes and pictures, so the ladder was set up for her to climb and the Refuge Manager invited us to join in and climb the tower too! It was most excellent!

How Neat Is That?!

Overwhelming Emotions For America!

Yesterday, we had prepped a field trip for a middle-school after school program and were told to expect around 30 students. We were stoked and had a pretty solid handle on what exactly we were going to be doing, but boy were we in for a shock.
When we got to the school, one of the leaders we were working with casually informed us that we would have 120 students........talk about blindsided. We had brought enough materials for 40 students, just in case there were a few more than expected....but 120 was insane. Along with that surprise, we were asked to speak to the whole group about AmeriCorps and how we got to where we are now in our field, in addition to our normal intro to the refuge, which was no biggie. However, all of the kids were in after school "hang out with my friends and play games" mode so very few were paying attention. After our intro, our activity was made optional for everyone (being that there were 120 kids, that normally would have been a blessing), so only 2 kids chose to participate in the activities we had planned, which ended up being super awkward and not at all what we had anticipated in preparing for this program.
All in all, it was a less than ideal situation for sure, and we are going to have to talk things over and decide if/how to move forward with this partnership in the coming months.

How (NOT) Neat Is That?!

Black Magic For Me!

 

 Yesterday I drove out to Black Magic Canyon to do some exploring. I had intended on going a few weeks ago but had forgotten to call the canal company to make sure they were not planning any water releases. I called Friday and got the green light to go explore. It took me a minute to figure out which direction the bulk of the canyon was from where I started, but when I got it, I was impressed! The lava rock has been shaped by years of rushing water, creating a beautiful natural sculpture garden! The smooth rocks made some crevices impossible for me to scale and get through, so I had to climb up the canyon walls to get past. There were random piles of dead fish throughout the canyon (I'd imagine they died from smashing against the rocks during dam releases), but that didn't distract too terribly from the beauty of this place.

8/8 would recommend

How Neat Is That?!

 

 

Science Nights For America!!

Last night we were invited to host a booth at an elementary school's science night! We got to interact with over 160 people (kids and their families) and teach them a little bit about the Wildlife Refuge and some of the neat things we brought. Some of the kids had never seen a Raccoon or a Fox (or any of the animals relevant to the biofacts we brought) before, so they really enjoyed getting to touch the pelts and ask questions about the animals. [Several kids thought the Red Fox pelt was a squirrel......like, please show me where you have seen such ginormous squirrels]. We got a few kids interested in our Winter Day Camp this December as well, so hopefully they reach out and sign up soon!
I really enjoy this kind of outreach event because it allows you to talk one on one with kids and introduce some to aspects of the world they have never been exposed to! Exposure to nature is important at such a young age and it is what I love most about my current field. Having the opportunity to get people (of any age) interested in nature is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job, and I aspire to spread that interest in my everyday life- even outside of work. I can't wait to participate in more outreach events like this in the future!

How Neat Is That?!

Hot Springs and Cold Snow For Me!

 

I forgot to take pictures at the hot spring, so here are some pretty fall leaves instead.

I had Monday off because I worked the event on Saturday, so I decided to spend it going on an adventure. It is perfect weather right now for visiting hot springs- cold but not too snowy that accessing the springs becomes impossible.
This adventure took me to Trail Creek Hot Spring in Cascade. The drive up was beautiful and there was snow all along the road. Stopped at a seemingly sketchy pipe in the side of the mountain to fill up on some nice crisp spring water and then continued on to Trail Creek. It was a short hike down to the pools and thankfully, nobody else was there! We hopped into the upper pool--supposedly it's better because you can control the temperature by opening and closing a pipe that brings cold water in from the river. Two couples and a family of seven came in waves throughout the day, but all of them chose to cram in the lower pool (fine by me!) until this old man showed up, asked if he could join, and then stripped naked and hopped in. Old people......they're the worst. We left shortly after, as we had been there long enough anyways.

On the drive back, we pulled over so I could play in the snow- ALMOST busted my ass, but saved myself just in time.  Grabbed dinner on the lake in Cascade while the sunset made the clouds look like cotton candy. It was definitely a nice way to spend a day off.

How Neat Is That?!

Getting Spooky For America!

 Woah.......SPOOK! This past Saturday was our annual Halloween Event: Creepy Critter Encounters! I, of course, was the only one of us to dress up.....I was "Fish and Wildlife"( I was wearing my mermaid scale leggings, plus the scales on my face, the deer nose and the antlers).I thought it was pretty funny, but most people didn't quite get it. Oh well!
We had live owls, worms, and herps in addition to crafts, story time and loads of educational booths where kids could learn about some of the creepy critters that live on the refuge!

One family came dressed as the Candy Land characters and it was the best ever! We had about 401 visitors in total throughout the event, and everyone seemed to be having a good time! Here's to another successful event!

How Neat Is That?!

 

 

 

Bird Brains....For America!!

You know how migrating birds fly in a "V" formation? Ever wonder why one side is always longer than the other? Well, I'm here to shed some light on the subject.......it's because there are more birds on that side. BOOM!

In all seriousness, this week we visited 45 second graders at Melba Elementary School to teach them about migrating birds. I even created a game for them to play and learn about the dangers migratory birds face along their journey-- it was a spin on the classic 4-corners game that most everyone has played at least once in their life. The kids definitely enjoyed it and it provided a less "doom and gloom" way for them to learn about a darker side of the migration topic. Of course, not all of the scenarios were bad, I included plenty of positive events in the game as well to show that while there are several dangerous obstacles for the birds to try to overcome, there are also things being done to help them!

Fun Fact Of The Day!--- If humans were to prepare for migration and eat as much, proportionally, as birds do in the two weeks prior to migrating, we would have to eat one hamburger every 10 minutes, all day and night for two weeks in addition to the normal 3 meals a day plus snacks and drinks!! Considering some birds, like this Arctic Tern, will fly for about 22,000 miles one way, sometimes without ever stopping, its understandable why they would need to eat so much. To put that even more into perspective, in their lifetime (over 30 years), an Arctic Tern will fly a distance equivalent to 3 trips to the moon and back!!

How Neat Is That?!